We are starting to notice some people wearing a face shield instead of a face mask and it worries us.
Does a face shield serve the same purpose?
We reached out to Chad Sanborn, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at KIDZ Medical Services.
Here is his reply:
The level of protection for the wearer is likely to be the same if wearing a face shield as opposed to a mask. However, that isn’t really why we wear these in public- we wear masks to protect OTHERS from getting sick from OURSELVES.
Yes, if you wear a mask or shield there is an added level of protection to you as well, but really the idea is if everyone wears protection the rate of transmission really drops.
The face shields may be more comfortable, but studies seem to suggest that you can still spread aerosols under the bottom and around the sides of the mask, meaning you can probably spread infection easier to other people than by wearing a mask.
So, in short, when going out in public people should be wearing masks instead of face shields, as they are only benefiting themselves. Or wear both. A face shield alone is probably not enough protection to stop the spread to other people.
For more information visit:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html
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